Regarding Claims of Divine Revelations of Hell
Proof-Texts and Cross-References
2 Sam. 7v12; 1 Kgs. 2v10, 11v43, 15v8; Job 3v17, 7v21, 14v12; Ps. 13v3, 115v17, 146v4; Eccl. 9v4-10; Is. 38v18; Dan. 12v2, v13; Jn. 3v13, 5v28-29, 6v39-40, 8v21, 11v11-14, v23-24, 13v33, v36, 14v3; Acts 2v34, 7v57-60, 13v36, 24v15; 1 Cor. 15v13-55; 2 Cor. 5v7 [1], 12v2-7; Gal. 1v8 [1]; 1 Thess. 4v13-18; 2 Pt. 3v4; Rev. 4v1-2, 20v5-15
Introduction
Ever since I can remember, I believed in hell as a place of torment, where the wicked will one day ‘do the time’ for their crime.
Soon after my conversion in 1993, I discovered that the Apostle Paul once “knew a man in Christ [who was] caught up to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12v2).
My spiritual mentors at the time, told me that this was not the only instance, but that many have “travelled from this world to one beyond” [23].
As a young Christian I was infatuated with these claims. If there were one trip I would have loved to make, it was to the ‘other side’.
Yet, as the years went by and my understanding of the Bible developed, I discovered to my dismay, that these claims were not only incompatible with Scripture, but often also self-contradictory.
Please do NOT get me wrong.
I certainly DO believe in hell.
I certainly DO believe that God once revealed the nature of both, Heaven and Paradise, by means of visions and revelations. (2 Cor. 12v1-7)
However, I also believe, that God cannot contradict Himself, nor can any of His revelations contradict another.
In other words, if anyone claims a Divine Revelation from God, that revelation cannot, in any way, contradict what was previously revealed in Scripture.
With that in mind, let us have a closer look at the claims of Bill Wiese [3], David [14], Dr. Donald Whitaker [22|23|24], Epenetus [21], Jan Price [15], Jennifer Perez [6], Dr. Kenneth Hagin [5], Mary K. Baxter [2|7|8|9|16|17|18], Dr. Michael Yeager [12] and Thomas Welch [26].
Experiences
Let us see what these folks ‘experienced in hell’.
Kenneth Hagin in Hell (1933)
According to Hagin, he died on the 22nd of April 1933 [5], as the result of a “deformed heart” [5]. Hagin left his body, claiming that he could see his family in the room. [5] He then fell down “what seemed like a downward well or cavern” [5], being “covered in darkness” [5]. At the bottom of the cavern he was “surrounded by giant orange flames” [5]. Hagin then saw “what he believed to have been the gates of hell” [5], to which he was drawn. He says that “some kind of creature” [5] met him down there, and then “grabbed Hagin” [5]. The creature “immediately released Hagin, and he felt himself pulled towards the light” [5], after which he woke up.
Dr. Donald Whitaker in Hell (1975)
According to Whitaker, it was in February of 1975 [22], after three or four days of substance abuse, that he was checked into Whatley Hospital in Oklahoma City. [22] Following an operation, three days later, Whitaker “woke up in Intensive Care on a respirator” [22]. Soon afterwards Whitaker started to “fade away” [22] into a “darkness” [22], that literally “penetrated into your very being” [22]. Whitaker recalls that he “felt untold terror” [22|23] in “that void” [22].
Mary Katherine Baxter in Hell (1976)
According to Baxter, during a prayer session [7], in April of 1976 [7], at 2 AM in the morning [7], Jesus appeared to her “in human form” [7]. Jesus then told Baxter, “I have appeared to you for a reason and a purpose, that I may take you on a journey and show you the depths, degrees, the levels and torments of hell” [7]. According to Baxter, she was then taken “to hell every night, three hours a night for thirty nights” [7], “in spirit form” [7]. According to Baxter, she could feel the burning flames; she could smell the smell “of sewers” [7] and “of burning rotting flesh” [7]; and she could hear “the cries of the dead, the moans and groans of regret” [7]. According to Baxter, she met a woman in hell, who “used to be a minister of God’s Word” [7]. Apparently this ‘former minister’ couldn’t forgive her husband for committing adultery, and out of hatred ended up killing both, the other woman and her own husband, followed by her own suicide. [7] According to Baxter, those in hell begged her to “warn the people not to come here” [8].
Thomas Welch in Hell
According to Welch, he “was killed” [26]“at the age of eighteen” [26], after “falling” [26]“headlong” [26] from “a massive trestle, as tall as a five-story building” [26]. The next moment he “wasn’t on earth” [26], but “in hell” [26], “standing by an immense … burning, turbulent, rolling ocean of fire” [26], which burned “like molten lava” [26] – “white-hot red, laced with specks of black” [26] – and a “black sky” [26]. Yet, “Neither [Welch himself] nor anyone else [was] IN the vast ocean of fire” [26]“No one was IN the ocean” [26]. Soon Welch noticed “two people [he knew], long since dead on earth” [26], his “uncle, Halvor Nomeland, who died of consumption” [26] and his old “classmate” [26], “Ben Grandahl, [who] died from cancer of the jaw” [26]. Next he saw Jesus “[walking] towards [them] over the turbulent mass of fire” [26]. The moment Jesus looked at him Welch was “back in [his] body” [26]. But “the final curtain had not descended on the miracle” [26]. From “Monday night until Friday morning” [26] Welch claim to have had “many conversations [with] Jesus” [26], during which Jesus would have confirmed Libertarian Free Will, speaking of “man’s free will” [26] or “the free will of man” [26] as “sovereign freedom” [26].
David in Hell [14]
According to David, he was at a family reunion, at “about twelve in the afternoon” [14], when he felt a “circle of pain” [14] on his chest, before he “fell over dead” [14] on the Casino floor. Apparently, Don opened his eyes in hell. Hell was “all white” [14]. There was “nothing there” [14]: “no color” [14], “no pigment” [14], “nothing to buy” [14], “nowhere to go” [14], “no movies to see” [14], “no games to play” [14], “no jewelry stores” [14], “no mountains” [14] and “no grass” [14].
Dr. Michael Yeager in Hell
According to Yeager, while praying he “received a vision of hell” [12]. When “the floor of his room opened up” [12] he fell down “a deep dark hole for miles and miles” [12]. He felt a wind blowing from what seemed like a bottomless hole. While looking between his feet “he could see a distant orange glow” [12]. The “odor was so strong it was sickening” [12]. He then descended into a huge cavern filled with “what looked like lava sending flames hundreds of feet into the air” [12]. While still “about 10,000 feet above this burning sea” [12], he could hear “earth shattering explosions” [12]. Even at this distance “the heat was almost too much to bear and it felt like his skin was actually burning off” [12]. As he descended his ears was filled with a “very eerie” [12] humming sound, that “got louder and louder as he approached the lava” [12]. According to Yeager, God made him understand that this “sound was actually human beings screaming in unbelievable agony” [12]. “At about 200 feet above this lake of lava, fire and brimstone, the pain got almost too much to bear” [12]. He then saw “tens of thousands” [12] of “human beings bobbing up and down and back and forth” [12], while “weeping and wailing in extreme agony” [12]. “Their bodies were burned black in this sea of fire and brimstone” [12]. “Suddenly he plunged into the lava and it covered him and filled his eyes, nose throat, lungs etc” [12]. Apparently his “eyes felt like they were being consumed out of their sockets” [12]. He was “suffocating and could not take a breath but yet he was not dying” [12]. “Excruciating pain overtook him fully as he was submerged” [12]. It is said that “there were other creatures in the sea of fire that looked like huge worms” [12]. As they reached him “they began boring into him and went inside his body and brain and were coming out of his eyes” [12]. Apparently “there is no love there. It is totally void of love.” [12]. “An emptiness beyond comprehension enveloped him.” [12] While “there were many, many others there, there were no communications whatsoever” [12]. According to Yeager, what he experienced was “very real”, “his five senses were very much alive” [12], since “he could see, touch, smell, feel everything” [12]. He was, for instance, “gripped with an intense thirst” [12] that he could not quench. It’s inhabitants could “remember everything that went on in [their] life, including each time the Gospel was presented to [them] and [they] refused” [12]. He also knew that “hell was eternal and no chance of getting out” [12]. Finally, the voice of God “echoed across the sea of fire and brimstone and lava telling hell to release him and he was returned back to his room” [12].
Experiential Contradictions
The Location of Hell
➢ According to Baxter, hell is located “in the middle of the earth” [7].
➢ According to Yeager, hell is located somewhere near the center of the earth, since when “the floor of his room opened up” [12] he descended down “a deep dark hole for miles and miles” [12] into a huge cavern filled with “what looked like lava sending flames hundreds of feet into the air” [12].
No conflicts here, seems like everyone is in agreement as to the location of hell.
The Design of Hell
➢ According to Baxter, hell is “in the shape of a human body” [7], laying “on it’s back” [7]. It had “a real heart as big as a football field, with snake-skin on it” [8] that “beats like a real heart” [8]. Hell was divided into different “compartments” [7], some of which contained “vats of fire” [7]. Hell had a river of fire. [8] Hell is accessed by “gateways” [7], also known as “tunnels” [7].
➢ According to Yeager, hell consisted of a “burning sea” [12] filled with “lava, fire and brimstone” [12].
➢ According to David, “there was nothing there” [14]: “nothing to buy” [14], “nowhere to go” [14], “no movies to see” [14], “no games to play” [14], “no jewelry stores” [14], “no mountains” [14] and “no grass” [14].
Well, either somebody’s lying, or someone’s mistaken.
The Aesthetics of Hell
➢ According to Hagin, hell was “covered in darkness” [5] and filled with “giant orange flames” [5].
➢ According to Whitaker, hell was covered in a “darkness” [22], that literally “penetrated into your very being” [22].
➢ But, according to David, hell was “all white” [14]. There was “nothing there” [14]: “no color” [14] and “no pigment” [14].
Again, either somebody’s lying, or someone’s mistaken.
The Contents of Hell
➢ According to Baxter, hell is filled with “backbiters” [8], homosexuals,“hypocrites” [8] and compromising preachers [8].
➢ According to Yeager, hell was filled with “tens of thousands” [12] of people “weeping and wailing in extreme agony” [12], being bored by “huge worms” [12].
➢ According to Welch, he met both, his deceased uncle, Halvor Nomeland, and his deceased classmate, Ben Grandahl, there. [26]
➢ But, according to David, there was “nothing” [14] in hell. That means no-one.
Again, either somebody’s lying, or someone’s mistaken.
The Communications of Hell
➢ According to Yeager, while “there were many, many others there, there were no communications whatsoever“ [12]
➢ According to Welch, he met his deceased uncle, Halvor Nomeland, and his deceased classmate, Ben Grandahl, in hell, but “neither one [greeted him] or [spoke to him]“ [26], because of their “bewilderment and confusion” [26]. Uncle Nomeland, apparently, were “too overcome to speak“ [26].
➢ But, according to Baxter, she could not only hear “the cries of the dead, the moans and groans of regret” [7], but those in hell begged her to “warn the people not to come here” [8].
Again, either somebody’s lying, or someone’s mistaken.
Biblical Contradictions
Not only does Baxter, David, Epenetus, Hagin, Perez, Welch, Whitaker, Wiese and Yeager contradict each other, but they also contradict the Testimony of Scripture.
Baxter, Epenetus and Yeager contradicts the Bible
While it is NOT completely impossible to have a vision of either, Heaven (2 Cor. 12v2; Rev. 4v1-2) or Hell, it is impossible to find any of the deceased there, since they are currently in neither, Heaven nor Hell (Jn. 3v13, 8v21, 13v33, v36; Acts 2v34), but silently asleep in Intermediate Unconsciousness (2 Sam. 7v12; 1 Kgs. 2v10, 11v43, 15v8; Job 3v17, 7v21, 14v12; Ps. 13v3, 115v17, 146v4; Eccl. 9v4-10; Is. 38v18; Dan. 12v2, v13; Jn. 11v11-14; Acts 7v57-60, 13v36; 2 Pt. 3v4), awaiting Final Resurrection at Christ’s Second Coming (Job 14v12; Jn. 5v28-29, 6v39-40, 11v23-24, 14v3; Acts 24v15; 1 Cor. 15v13-55; 1 Thess. 4v13-18; Rev. 20v5-15).
Epenetus contradicts the Bible
According to Epenetus a heavenly messenger told him,
“That you may never doubt the reality of eternal things, I have come to show you the truth of them: not by faith only but also by sight. I will show you things never yet seen by mortal eyes, and to that end your eyes shall be strengthened and made able to behold heavenly things.” [1|21]
Yet, the above statement is completely contrary to the testimony of Second Corinthians Chapter 5 Verse 7:
“For we walk by faith, NOT by sight: …” (2 Cor. 5v7, KJV)
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you think that these people are lying?
I am sure that some of them might be lying, but certainly not all. I have no doubt that some of them may indeed have experienced something hallucinogenic, or otherwise occultic.
Why would anyone lie about visiting hell?
Instant Fame and Book Sales.
Welch’s story turned him into an instant celebrity. “I don’t know how many times I’ve told about my journey to the lake of fire” [26], He said, but “Forums have involved all forms of communication, from CBN’s worldwide television to radio, books, periodicals, newspapers, churches, revivals, retreats, prayer meetings, luncheon and dinner meetings, and small groups of two or three people, even one person. In 1978 Dr. Maurice Rawlings included a four-page report of the miracle in his book ‘Beyond Death’s Door’. In 1964 Gordon Lindsay published a two-page account of the miracle on Larch Mountain in his book ‘The Gordon Lindsay Story’… In 1962, in response to innumerable requests by groups to whom I spoke, for a printed account, I finally wrote a concise report… The Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) has invited me to speak to many of their meetings.” [26]
Bill Wiese released a book, entitled “23 Minutes In Hell” [3].
Mary K. Baxter released a book, entitled “A Divine Revelation of Hell” [2|28].
Michael Yeager released a book, entitled “Horrors of Hell, Splendors of Heaven” [30].
Thomas Welch released a book, entitled “The Thomas Welch Story” [27].
Contrary to Welch’s claim, that he “had no reason, nor anything to gain, by lying or fabricating a story” [26]; the truth is, that he had everything to gain by doing so.
To paraphrase Shakespeare, “me thinks thou dost protest too much”.
What do you mean by hallucinogenic?
They may have hallucinated during their Near-Death Experience as a result of Neurological Disorders [19], caused by “electrical abnormalities in the brain or spinal cord, or in the nerves leading to or from them” [19].
Neurological disorders often lead to confusion, pain, seizures and altered levels of consciousness.
Both, David [14] and Hagin [5] had heart failures, which may account for their experiences.
According to Dr. Donald Whitaker [22], he “was an alcoholic” [22] and “also used recreation drugs” [22], prior to his near-death experience in 1975. Upon his arrival at hospital he was “checked in with electrolytes, meaning [his] potassium, [his] chlorides, and various chemicals were so far out of balance that they had to give [him] IV’s to build [him] up …” [22]
What do you mean by occultic?
I mean they may have had a demonic experience. Baxter had a history of demonic encounters.
Why didn’t you discuss John Bunyan’s visions?
That would be because they weren’t his. [1]
Contrary to the claims of Art and Sue Renz of Global Missionary Church Ministries [21], the book ‘Visions of Heaven and Hell’ [1], was NOT written by John Bunyan (1628–1688).
➢ One. The author identifies himself as “Epenetus” [1], not “John” or “Bunyan”.
➢ Two. Considering it’s content the author was “not a Christian at the time when the angel appears to him” [1], since he was “suicidal and a borderline atheist at the time just prior to the vision” [1].
➢ Three. The author claimed to have spoken to Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), the author of “Leviathan” [1].
“To this he replied, ‘I once knew you well upon the earth, and had almost persuaded you to be of my opinion. I am the author of that celebrated book
entitled ‘Leviathan.’ ‘What! The great Hobbes?’ said I. ‘Are you come here?’ ‘Alas’, replied he, ‘I am that unhappy man indeed. But I am so far from being great that I am one of the most wretched persons in all these dirty territories. For now I know there is a God. But oh! I wish there were not, for I am sure He will have no mercy on me. Nor is there any reason that He should. I do confess I was His foe on earth, and now He is mine in hell. It was that proud confidence I had in my own wisdom that has so betrayed me.'” [1|21]
Hobbes died in 1679 [1], while Bunyan died in 1688 [1|20], meaning Bunyan had little more than eight years – between 1679 and 1688 – during which to see the exact vision, and plagiarize almost exactly, what he already wrote 21 years earlier, in “A Few Sighs from Hell, or the Groans of a Damned Soul” (1658) – in effect plagiarizing himself?!
Yet, according to Art and Sue Renz of Global Missionary Church Ministries “John Bunyan wrote the following account when he was a young man“ [21].
IF John Bunyan was indeed the author, he would have been at least 51 years “young”, when Hobbes died in 1679.
Whoever wrote this book, plagiarized Bunyan’s earlier work, entitled “A Few Sighs from Hell, or the Groans of a Damned Soul” [1], published in 1658 [20].
That is why the “Visions” book is listed as a “spurious work” [1] by the John Bunyan Museum in Bedford, meaning that the book is considered a fake!
This also explains why Wikipedia did NOT list the “Visions” book as one of Bunyan’s works. [20]
Conclusion
I am afraid, that unless these individuals repent of their lies, and align themselves with Scripture, they will all likewise perish, being consigned to Hell at Christ’s Second Coming – this time without the option of ever returning, to tell their story.
Remember, Mrs. Baxter, your own words, “the liquid boiling fire mixed with hot lava” [8] were “the judgment of God upon the abominables” [8]: “people that taught false doctrine” [8] [like you]; “people that lied and deliberately blasphemed God” [8] [like you]. Remember, Mrs. Baxter, that “hell is very very real” [8], “there’s no mercy” [8] and “there’s no escape once you get there” [8]. Therefore, Mrs. Baxter, “While you’re on the earth, you need to repent and turn unto God“ [8], because if you don’t, you will most certainly get to experience hell first-hand.
Finally, if your Church supports this kind of rubbish, make like a tree and LEAVE!
Videos
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Bibliography
1. Visions of Heaven and Hell by ‘John Bunyan’ (Cobblestone Road Ministries; 1 July 2012)
2. Mary K. Baxter. A Divine Revelation of Hell (Divine Revelation; 9 December 2010)
3. Bill Wiese. 23 Minutes In Hell (Divine Revelation; 9 December 2010)
4. Dr. Maurice S. Rawlings. To Hell and Back (Divine Revelation; 9 December 2010)
5. VIDEO: Hell Testimony – Kenneth Hagin – Near Death Experience (YouTube; 24 September 2008) ✔
6. Jennifer Perez. Hell Is Real, I Went There! (Divine Revelation; 9 December 2010)
7. VIDEO: Sid Roth. She Went To Hell, She Went To Heaven – Part 1 / 3 (It’s Supernatural / YouTube; 21 May 2008) ✔
8. VIDEO: Sid Roth. She Went To Hell, She Went To Heaven – Part 2 / 3 (It’s Supernatural / YouTube; 21 May 2008) ✔
9. VIDEO: Sid Roth. She Went To Hell, She Went To Heaven – Part 3 / 3 (It’s Supernatural / YouTube; 21 May 2008)
10. Robert Matthews. Patients near death see visions of hell (3 July 2012)
11. The Testimony of Theo Nez (Divine Revelation; 9 December 2010)
12. Dr. Michael Yeager’s Vision of Hell (A Mighty Wind; 9 December 2010) ✔
13. VIDEO: After Life Experience – Suicide then Hell and Back (YouTube/Spiritually Smart; 2 September 2007)
14. VIDEO: Seven Minutes In Hell (YouTube; 2 March 2008) ✔
15. Jan Price. The Other Side of Death (Ballantine Books; 12 March 1996)
16. David J. Stewart. Mary Katherine Baxter’s Heresies EXPOSED! (Jesus Is Lord; 9 December 2010)
17. G. Richard Fisher. The ‘Heavenly Hash’ of Mary K. Baxter: A Critical Look at her Celestial Revelation (Personal Freedom Outreach; 1999)
18. Thomas Welch’s Story (Bible Probe; 31 January 2013)
19. Neurological disorder (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 9 December 2010) ✔
20. John Bunyan (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; 1 July 2012) ✔
21. John Bunyan. Visions of Heaven and Hell (Global Missionary Church Ministries; 1 July 2012) ✔
22. VIDEO: Dr. Donald Whitaker. Medical Doctor has NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE – to HELL and BACK (part 1) (YouTube; 1 December 2008) ✔
23. VIDEO: Dr. Donald Whitaker. Medical Doctor has NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE – to HELL and BACK (part 2) (YouTube; 6 December 2008) ✔
24. Dr. Maurice S. Rawlings. To Hell and Back (Divine Revelations; 4 July 2012) ✔
25. Critique of Claimed Visits to Heaven and Hell (For the Love of His Truth; 24 October 2012)
26. Jerry Parrick. A 20th Century Miracle (Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 07060), p.2-3, 5, 26-27, 34-35, 37, 39, 41, 45-46, 49-51, 77, 137. ISBN 0-88270-488-5 ✔
27. Thomas Welch. The Thomas Welch Story (Dallas, TX: Christ for the Nations, Inc.) Reprinted 1976 Republished 2004 ✔
28. Mike Oppenheimer. A Book Review on Mary K. Baxter’s ‘A Divine Revelation of Hell’ (Let Us Reason Ministries; 31 January 2013)
29. Challenging Sid Roth’s endorsement of Mary K. Baxter’s book, ‘A Divine Revelation of Hell’ (The Refiner’s Fire; 31 January 2013)
30. Dr. Michael Yeager. Horrors of Hell, Splendors of Heaven (5 Fold Media) ISBN-10: 0982577591 ISBN-13: 9780982577592 ✔
Revisions
09.12.2010 / 14-15.12.2010 / 22.11.2011 / 01.07.2012 / 03-04.07.2012 / 24.11.2012 / 31.01.2013